Ole K. Faber

Characterization of Seven C-peptide Antisera

The plasma C-peptide immunoreactivity (CPR) in 10 normal subjects varied considerably when measured with different antisera in parallel assays. The CPR level correlated with the blank “CPR” value measured in plasma devoid of C-peptide and to a lesser degree with the sensitivity of the standard curves obtained with the individual antisera. Storage of plasma samples at different temperatures and for different lengths of time before the analyses were carried out resulted In further variation in the CPR results. This was caused by a time- and temperature-dependent fall in CPR, which was more pronounced with some antisera than with others. This sensitivity to storage of plasma did not correlate with the antigenk characteristics of the antisera as determined by their reactivity with 11 specific fragments of the C-peptide molecule. The contribution of human proinsulin to the CPR concentration in normal subjects was considered to be negligible even though the relative immunoreactivity of human proinsulin and C-peptide ranged from 11 to 143 per cent among these antisera. These results suggest that differences in C-peptide antisera are a major reason for the variation in the concentration of circulating CPR as measured in different, C-peptide immunoassays.

HYPERINSULINISM OF HEPATIC CIRRHOSIS: DIMINISHED DEGRADATION OR HYPERSECRETION?

The breakdown of proinsulin in the pancreatic beta cell yields insulin and C-peptide which are secreted in equimolar amounts. Unlike insulin, C-peptide is not degraded significantly by the liver, so that its measurement should give a better assessment of insulin secretion than estimation of peripheral insulin levels alone; particularly in the presence of hepatic dysfunction. Plasma C-peptide and insulin response to an oral glucose load have therefore been assessed in 14 cirrhotic and 7 normal subjects. Cirrhotic patients were divided into hyperinsulinaemic and normoinsulinaemic groups based on fasting plasma-insulin concentrations. Fasting blood-blucose and plasma-C-peptide concentrations were the same in normal and cirrhotic subjects, suggesting that basal pancreatic insulin secretion was the same in all subjects. Thus the C-peptide/insulin ratio was significantly decreased in hyperinsulinaemic subjects (2-13 +/- 0-31, compared with 4-63 +/- 0-48 in controls). After oral glucose, the two groups of cirrhotic patients showed the same glucose intolerance. C-peptide concentrations were also the same but insulin concentrations were markedly increased in the hyperinsulinaemic group. It is suggested that pancreatic insulin secretion is not increased in cirrhosis and that the peripheral hyperinsulinism is due solely to decreased hepatic insulin degradation secondary to either spontaneous portal-systemic shunting or to parenchymal damage.

Classification of newly diagnosed diabetic patients as insulin-requiring or non-insulin-requiring based on clinical and biochemical variables.

In a prospective study of 41 consecutively referred newly diagnosed diabetic patients, we evaluated the predictive value of fasting and glucagon-stimulated C-peptide values, ketonuria, age, and body weight in the classification of subjects as insulin-requiring (IR) or non-insulin-requiring (NIR). The patients were followed up for ≥12 mo and classified as NIR if adequate glycemic control could be achieved without insulin (i.e., fasting plasma glucose < 8 mM and no glycosuria). Patients who needed insulin to obtain this status were classified as IR. We found that all subjects with plasma C-peptide values >0.60 nM 6 min after intravenous glucagon were NIR, whereas all IR subjects together with 3 NIR subjects had C-peptide values below this limit. All NIR subjects but 1 had fasting C-peptide values > 0.30 nM, and all IR subjects but 1 had C-peptide values below this limit. Seventy-five percent of the subjects could be correctly classified by use of age and percent desirable body weight. Thus, all subjects > 40 yr old and >100% ideal body weight were NIR, and all subjects below both these limits were IR. Ketonuria was found in 10 of 12 IR subjects and in 10 of 29 NIR subjects. We conclude that 1) 75% of the subjects could be correctly classified by use of age and percent desirable body weight only and 2) C-peptide measurements are useful in the classification of newly diagnosed diabetes, whereas presence of ketonuria is of limited value.

Kinetics of Human C-peptide in Man

A review of studies concerned with the metabolism of human C-peptide showed that the kidney is the major organ in C-peptide removal. The turnover rate of C-peptide was similar to that of proinsulin but considerably slower than that of insulin. An analysis of corresponding C-peptide and insulin concentrations in normal subjects after the administration of oral glucose or intravenous glucagon was used to define the relationships between the two peptides. These results show that different peripheral vein concentrations of insulin may correspond to identical C-peptide concentrations, depending on sampling conditions.

Sulfonylureas Why, Which, and How?

Although controversies remain as to the usefulness of sulfonylureas, most evidence is in favor of their use in many if not most patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. When used properly, sulfonylureas improve insulin secretion and action, and these effects may be maintained for years. If combined with hypocaloric dietary regulation, rapid- and short-acting sulfonylureas may help patients reach and maintain euglycemia without provoking chronic hyperinsulinemia or weight increase. There is no evidence that sulfonylurea treatment causes β-cell exhaustion; instead, the antihyperglycemic effect helps improve β-cell function. Sulfonylurea “failures” are often dietary failures or may be due to late introduction of these drugs, i.e., when β-cell function is already attenuated. Desensitization of the insulinotropic effect of sulfonylureas may occur but might be avoided by discontinuous (<24 h/day) sulfonylurea exposure, i.e., once-daily administration of a short-acting sulfonylurea in a moderate dose. The most important adverse effect of sulfonylureas is long-lasting hypoglycemia, which may lead to permanent neurological damage and even death. This is mainly seen in elderly subjects who are exposed to some intercurrent event, e.g., acute energy deprivation or a drug interaction, i.e., aspirin. Longacting sulfonylureas may be more likely to promote long-lasting hypoglycemia. The dose-response relationships of sulfonylureas have been poorly investigated, and sulfonylurea therapy should always be initiated and maintained at the lowest possible dose.

Residual Beta-cell Function and Its Metabolic Consequences

Improvement in the sensitivity and specificity of the C-peptide immunoassay and studies of larger groups of patients have increased our knowledge of the importance of residual beta-cell function and its metabolic consequences in insulin-treated diabetic patients. During the first five to 10 years after the onset of diabetes mellitus residual beta-cell function is demonstrable in the majority of insulin-treated patients irrespective of the severity of the initial symptoms and only partly dependent on the patients age at diagnosis. Residual beta-cell function facilitates good control. Stable patients have a higher C-peptide concentration in plasma than unstable ones, but unmeasurable C-peptide is not always associated with poor control. More data are needed before the full significance of an even minimal reserve of beta-cell function is elucidated. It also remains to be shown whether the reduction in beta-cell function in diabetic patients has a qualitative as well as quantitative component.

ELISA for human proinsulin

A micro enzyme-linked-immunosorbent-assay (ELISA) for monitoring circulating human proinsulin (hPI) was developed. A micro test plate was coated with guinea pig anti-insulin antibody. As labelling system peroxidase-labelled F(ab1)2-fragments of a guinea pig anti-human-C-peptide was used. The detection limit in buffer (95% level) was 0.6 pmol/l corresponding to 0.06 fmol/incubation well and to 1.2 pmol/l in serum, since samples were diluted 50%. Standard operating range was from 0-160 pmol/l. Interassay variation was 9% estimated from two human control materials (assayed within the range 6-9 pmol/l and 9-14 pmol/l, respectively). Insulin in samples did not interfere in concentrations below 400 pmol/l. Human C-peptide, porcine, and bovine proinsulins did not cross-react even at 10 000 pmol/l. In 38 healthy fasting subjects a reference range less than 1.2-13 pmol/l with a median of 4.1 pmol/l was found. Serum from total pancreatectomised patients showed values below the detection limit. The value from a patient with an insulinoma was 263 pmol/l. When stored at -20 degrees C human proinsulin appeared stable in serum or plasma for at least 9 mth. This ELISA, although among the most sensitive immunoassays for human proinsulin, is still not sensitive enough to measure the concentrations expected in samples from IDDM patients in the fasting state. In spite of this the method is useful in characterising beta-cell function in stimulated situations, as well as in the diagnosis of insulinoma.

Reproducibility of beta-cell function estimates in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We evaluated the reproducibility of different estimates of endogenous insulin secretion in 30 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Fasting blood glucose concentration was similar on the 2 days of study. The coefficients of variation of fasting plasma C-peptide, plasma Cpeptide 6 min after the injection of 1 mg i.v. glucagon, and the increment in plasma C-peptide after glucagon were 16.0, 14.8 and 24.1%, respectively. The coefficients of variation of the corresponding plasma insulin values were 19.2, 24.8, and 34.8%, respectively. The coefficient of variation of 24-h urinary C-peptide excretion was 22.1%. Because fasting plasma C-peptide correlated closely with plasma C-peptide 6 min after giucagon (test 1: r = .70, P < .01; test 2: r = .76, P < .01), it seems that these two values can be used equally well as assessment of (3-cell function in NIDDM. In conclusion, fasting plasma insulin, fasting plasma C-peptide, and plasma C-peptide 6 min after glucagon stimulation showed a similar and acceptable degree of reproducibility. Plasma insulin 6 min after glucagon and increments in plasma insulin and C-peptide, as well as urinary C-peptide, seem to be less reproducible.

Interaction of Ethanol and Glipizide in Humans

The hypoglycemic effect of 2.5 mg glipizide and the potentiation of this effect by ethanol were studied in 10 normal-weight nondiabetic subjects. The reductions in blood glucose concentrations were similar in time of onset and extent (2 mM) whether glipizide was taken alone or in combination with ethanol. However, the return of blood glucose toward fasting level was delayed by ethanol. Β-Cell secretory activity, evaluated from the concentrations of insulin and C-peptide, was unchanged by ethanol. The serum glipizide concentrations were reproducible within subjects, whereas there was a considerable interindividual variation. This heterogeneity in the rise in glipizide concentration was strongly correlated with blood glucose fall and insulin secretion. Thus, ethanol can prolong but does not augment the hypoglycemia induced by glipizide. The heterogeneity in glipizide concentration seems to be caused by an interindividual variation in kinetics.

Heterogeneity of Circulating Human C-peptide

Values reported for serum C-peptide immunoreactivity in healthy individuals vary considerably. To assess factors that contribute to this finding, three human C-peptide assay systems were developed utilizing three distinct antisera that react differently with various C-peptide fragments. Preparations of natural pancreatic and synthetic human C-peptide standards were compared immunologically in these systems. The curves of the natural C-peptide and the synthetic preparations were not identical. The relative immunoreactivity of each standard varied, depending on the particular antiserum used. Serum C-peptide concentrations varied when measured in the different assay systems. Furthermore, the results of dilution and recovery tests and stability of the C-peptide during storage showed differences among the three assays. Gel filtration of serum indicated heterogeneity within the major C-peptide peak, and, in addition, a smaller peak of lower molecular weight material was present in some samples. Although degradation of serum C-peptide may occur during storage, fragments of C-peptide may also be secreted or arise during in-vivo metabolism. Thus, the present studies indicate the need for careful standardization and checking of each particular assay system before its use in clinical studies.